Muff-muff

Usually both cats are looking out the window waiting for L to get home from school. Muffles, though, has become her kitten will let L pick him up, twirl him around, cuddle him like a baby, etc. Her pet name for him is Muff-muff, which drives B crazy. They can usually be found on the sofa lying together under a blanket.

Singing

Every Wednesday L goes to church for her singing lesson. Right now she's working on "Man in the Mirror" which she plans to perform at the church's upcoming talent show in February.

Orientation

Tonight we had to be at the high school at 6 p.m. for an orientation from E's Japanese teacher on how the upcoming exchange will work. She said we're supposed to go about our usual days so the student can experience American life. She said the grocery store is an exciting errand for them. A few days our student will shadow E at school. Other days the student has field trips - to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, then downtown to the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum. Andy volunteered to drive to the airport to pick four students up, and there will be welcoming and good-bye potlucks for all the students and their hosts. E's teacher told everyone to try not to lose their student.

After that meeting, we had B's orientation to the high school. He walked us all over the school's four floors, then into the field house where every club had a display set up, trying to recruit freshmen. B said he might be interesed in the chess club/team. He also seemed interested in the stage crew as we were leaving and were given a cool tour of the crew area. We were in a tunnel underneath the school's main entrance that connects the two theaters and got to the see the green room. It was pretty impressive. B isn't involved in band and doesn't like sports so we told him he needs to find something to do.

Company

August cuddled up with E as she read the book, "Room," for her English class.

Clearance

We did a bit of shopping this morning in an attempt to get everything done before the predicted freezing rain comes. Andy wanted to go to Best Buy to get the tax program so L and I headed next door to Michael's. L walked in to find a bag sale - whatever you could fit into a bag for $2. She couldn't pass it up and filled her bag to the brim. She was even helping an older lady who couldn't bend down by picking items up from the bottom of the bin and handing them to her for inspection. Have to say, I think the lady bought everything L handed her. Her cart was loaded. (I'd hate to see her house.) At one point the woman encouraged L to get into the bin. Fortunately, L has more common sense than that! Anyway, L got a few nice things, especially considering the $2 price tag. Her best find was a Christmas basket that normally sells for $10 and decorative marbles for our dining room table vase.

Sing it

Tonight our church had a karaoke night. L sang Taylor Swift's song, "Better Than Revenge," and Avril LaVigne's "What the Hell." Nice church song, but you should have heard some of the others' choices! L's were tame by comparison. Andy got up and sang a few songs, including "Werewolf in London." E sang with her friends, "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson and "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. I sang along from the table and B stayed home. We couldn't even lure him there with a pizza dinner.

The best part of today, though, was the church's annual meeting where a new clerk was elected ... my year is over!

One of my favorites

While I was searching through some of our digital pics yesterday to find B's first day of kindergarten (which apparently I shot with a film camera) I found one of my favorite pictures of the three kids. It was taken on the beach at White Fish Dunes State Park in Door County in August 2004. B was getting ready to start kindergarten, L just turned 2 and E was the big sister, had to be in the middle, always in charge.

Growing up

This is B on his last day of kindergarten in 2005. Today I registered him for high school.

White stuff

It's been 335 days in Chicago without an inch of snow. Guess that record was broken today, but not by much. It's just a dusting. More snow supposedly is coming later this week.

Exciting news

E came home from school today with the application of a 17-year-old Japanese student, Ai, who will be staying with us for 14 days in March. E is so excited. We emailed Ai (on the right in the picture) to see what she'd like to do while she's in Chicago. She said she likes America because we're "very positive thinking and cheerful." I told the kids they're going to have to try their hardest to be "positive thinking and cheerful" for two weeks. This could be quite a challenge.

MLKing Day

The kids were home from school today for Martin Luther King Day. E went with our youth minister and two other girls to Chicago's fancy Union League Club for a breakfast buffet and to hear a woman speak who marched with King. You know it's a fancy place because she had to wear dress slacks, no jeans allowed. After the speech they stayed to watch Obama's inauguration on TVs. E said the breakfast was in this room with the blue walls and nice chandeliers.

B invited his friend, IR, over for a few hours of video gaming while L and I went shopping. We found an inexpensive iPod dock/charger for her to use in her room. And it's portable so she can bring it to the basement or back yard when her friends are over.

Sleepy

Little volunteer

L came with me to the Economy Shop today to work a two-hour shift in the toy room. No surprise that L had to have this new, Ugly Doll we had for sale. In a store it would cost about $20 and we were selling it for $5. It's Fea Bea. I thought L's best purchase of the day, though, was this little tabletop lamp. It's rectangular and covered with pink beads - perfect for her room. It was marked $2 and the basement room where it was being sold was selling lamps for half-price today so L got a steal for just $1.

Student driver

We ordered three of these nifty magnets from ebay for our cars. E is doing pretty well driving; we're just worried that other drivers will be annoyed with her and hopefully less so if they realize there's a student driver in the car. We'll try them out and see how they work. In driver's ed today, E had her first chance at the simulation machines. She said she was doing OK until she did something that would have apparently damaged her car and the machine shut itself off.

46 years old

Today was Andy's 46th birthday. I made him a cake while he was at work and L set up the candles in a heart shape. She used lots of candles. I tried to get a pic without using my flash and it looks like the whole cake is on fire:

We went to Salerno's for his birthday dinner. Yummy.

Card from L

L stayed home from school because she said she wasn't feeling well this morning. She had a pretty miraculous recovery mid-morning. Any way, she made a birthday card for Andy. She's so creative - it looks like a regular card from the outside ...:

... and inside, it pops open to reveal her funny message:

Transitioning

Last night was our first parent meeting to "transition" B from middle school to high school. They gave us a folder with his December test scores and course recommendations. The big question for every student is which math class they tested into. B is currently taking the highest math class at the middle school and if he tested into algebra his teacher told us he'd basically be taking the same course as a freshman. He did so well on the test he was recommended for geometry, a sophomore class which E is taking this year. He was so thrilled!

Waiting

Muffles and August look out the window waiting for L to come home from school.

Sharp dressed men ... er, boys

B and his classmates were having their pictures taken at school today in their graduation robes. The boys were supposed to wear a collared shirt and tie. I couldn't resist taking a pic of the three dressed-up boys before I drove them to school. It was only 16 degrees outside this morning - much too cold to walk that far.

Getting big

The vet said our kittens are kittens for a year, but they sure don't look much like kittens any more.

Passport application

E is planning on going to Canada this summer for a mission trip with the church's youth group. Today, Andy and I took her to the Main Post Office to turn in her passport application. The line at Oak Park was to the door, probably a good 15-20 people in front of us. We stood there for about a half hour without moving before we decided to get back in the car and see if the line would be shorter at the Berwyn Post Office. We walked in there and were the only ones in line. We were in and out of there in less than 15 minutes.

Hitting the big streets

Although E has had her driver's permit since November, she officially started driver's ed this week. Every day she comes home and asks if we can go driving. Yesterday we went around the neighborhood and practiced her turns (she likes to take her hands off the wheel - yikes). Today, she drove up Oak Park Avenue, turned left onto Lake Street and took me to Penzey's Spices. All I had to do was pull into the parking space. Then she drove home - Lake Street to Ridgeland Avenue. She only scared me a few times. The picture is her in front of the Lake Theater on, of course, Lake Street.

While Daddy's away ...

Andy's been in Portland on business since Wednesday afternoon so tonight I treated the kids to Popeye's for dinner. It's one of B's favorites.

Whoa, kitty

I went into the basement today to get something from the freezer and found the kittens' latest toy torn to shreds. It had catnip inside of what was a fabric mouse and August looooves catnip, so I assume he's the guilty party.

They light up

L and I were shopping at Claire's for a birthday present for her friend, K's, spa/sleepover party this weekend. L couldn't stay away from the holiday clearance rack and found these dangling, light-up earrings for $1. Her taste in accessories and her personality sure do remind me of her late Aunt L, who loved to tell L stories to the whole family. I bet Aunt L was looking down on her, smiling, when she pulled these from the rack. She was so excited to wear them, she put them in while we were driving home, blinking all the way.

One more day

B and L went back to school today, but E had one last day and goes back tomorrow. She met fellow members of the school's Environmental Club at the El station and went downtown Chicago to film a public service announcement they plan on entering in a video contest. She spent the rest of the day chillin' and enjoying her last free day. Here she is, warming up by the heat register, playing my iPad and keeping Muffles company.

Cropping

I spent a good part of the day hunched over a table in the basement working on E's scrapbook. I got caught up through her most recent golf season. Here are some of the finished pages:

Decorations gone and leopard L

We spent the morning taking down our Christmas decorations. We didn't put as many up as we usually do since we weren't hosting the family dinner and since we weren't sure how the cats would react. As you can see in this photo, Muffles was a bit bewildered that we were taking his climbing tree away. He kept pouncing on it and once we got it in the bag, kept pouncing on that.

This afternoon, E and Andy had a golf lesson out near Yorktown Mall, so L and I took the opportunity to do a little shopping. L had wanted a packable bubble coat like E has and Penney's had them on clearance, so we got her one of those. I also found her super-warm gloves on sale and a nice dress she claims she'll wear for Easter and maybe the fifth-grade send-off. Her favorite purchase, though, was this pair of footie, zippered and yes, hooded pajamas that look like a leopard. She claims she's going to wear them to bed everyday from now to spring.

Sleeping on the job

This afternoon I left to take E to meet other students in her history class to see the Lincoln movie at the local theater. L had three friends over, so I told B he was in charge while I was gone. I came home to find this:

E called about an hour later to be picked up. Apparently the theater couldn't get the projector to work correctly so after the previews, the theater gave everyone either a pass to see another movie or a refund. E waited in line for a refund, then went to Pumpkin Moon with her friends, where I picked her up.

Wising up

Last time L lost a tooth she put it in a cup and set it on the kitchen counter. Little did she know that Andy would come home and toss the water and tooth (unknowingly, of course) as he filled the dishwasher. This time her molar came out, she wisened up and attached a note. The tooth fairy left her $1 for her effort.

Late Christmas

E's Girl Scout troop leader brought by her present today from the girls' gift exchange we missed because we were at the farm for Christmas. E got a Pokemon Pikachu that she's hung up in her bedroom window. Her leader gave her a $10 iTunes gift card and a pair of fuzzy socks.

New year, new hiding spots

August has been getting pretty brave in his selection of hiding spots. Here he is resting in the Christmas tree:

And here he is taking a snooze in L's open dresser drawer: